I should be honest - the death of someone from my past is what really inspired me for the next contest. Here's the story behind what sparked this idea:
It's fascinating how certain memories persist throughout our lives, and how people we barely knew can leave lasting impressions. I have a vivid recollection of Linda, most likely her younger sister DonnaJean, and possibly her brother Richard from when I was about 7 years old. We were at the beach after a rainstorm, and I was there with my sister. I believe Linda asked me to sit in the sand, then they began crafting an airplane from the wet sand. The sculpture resembled a small fighter plane and was remarkably detailed and artistic. This memory still comes back to me, especially during summer rainstorms. Despite what anyone might say, we all impact others throughout our lives. Linda's obituary tells me she lived a fulfilling life and touched many people over the years.
A better description of the contest:
Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Capture the magic of creativity and imagination in everyday settings. Photograph subjects interacting with handmade, artistic, or improvised creations that transform ordinary moments into something extraordinary. Whether it's a child piloting a sand airplane at the beach, someone reading in a fort made of books, or any scene where human creativity meets playful imagination - show us how art and ingenuity can turn the mundane into the magical. Focus on the interaction between people and their creative constructions, highlighting the wonder and joy found in simple, artistic moments. Use your imagination and you don't have to create the scene as we all know photographing something ordinary can turn out to be extraordinary.
Some examples that I dug up from old photos though they aren't the greatest, but this is what I mean:
As always, standard rules apply:
It's fascinating how certain memories persist throughout our lives, and how people we barely knew can leave lasting impressions. I have a vivid recollection of Linda, most likely her younger sister DonnaJean, and possibly her brother Richard from when I was about 7 years old. We were at the beach after a rainstorm, and I was there with my sister. I believe Linda asked me to sit in the sand, then they began crafting an airplane from the wet sand. The sculpture resembled a small fighter plane and was remarkably detailed and artistic. This memory still comes back to me, especially during summer rainstorms. Despite what anyone might say, we all impact others throughout our lives. Linda's obituary tells me she lived a fulfilling life and touched many people over the years.
A better description of the contest:
Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Capture the magic of creativity and imagination in everyday settings. Photograph subjects interacting with handmade, artistic, or improvised creations that transform ordinary moments into something extraordinary. Whether it's a child piloting a sand airplane at the beach, someone reading in a fort made of books, or any scene where human creativity meets playful imagination - show us how art and ingenuity can turn the mundane into the magical. Focus on the interaction between people and their creative constructions, highlighting the wonder and joy found in simple, artistic moments. Use your imagination and you don't have to create the scene as we all know photographing something ordinary can turn out to be extraordinary.
Some examples that I dug up from old photos though they aren't the greatest, but this is what I mean:
As always, standard rules apply:
- The photographs must be your own work.
- You may only submit one photo per contest.
- No commenting or liking photos until after the judging has taken place.
- This contest runs for about a week, starting now.
- At the end of the competition, the judge (last week's winner) will choose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place photo, providing as much feedback as possible.
- The 1st place winner will start a new thread here with the topic/theme of their choice, and act as the judge for that contest. (Winner has 48 hours to create new theme, after that it defers to 2nd place).
- Be sure to update the Contest Master List as soon as you post a new theme.
- Contest will end August 16, 2025 at noon EST.
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